1 week today! But how long til I start feeling better....
now's the time
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,181
1 week today! But how long til I start feeling better....
Hi everyone!
So today I've been sober one week. I honestly think this is the longest I've gone in maybe four or five years. I'm really proud. And I'm doing it for real this time... I ended up in the hospital last week vomiting blood. Thankfully it was gastritis (alcohol induced, of course) but the tests showed that I haven't damaged my liver or kidneys yet. So it seems like it's time to face the music. I feel ready.
I guess I wasn't expecting this to be such a physical experience, though. I've quit for a few days before and remember going through withdrawal in the sense of feeling foggy headed, etc. But this time I'm unemployed, so I'm experiencing the symptoms kind of unadulterated, and they're still going strong one week in. I feel incredibly dehydrated all the time. I've been drinking water from the time I wake up until I sleep and still I wake up every morning feeling like I slept in a desert.
And that's the other thing... wake up in the "morning". Yeah, that's not happening. My insomnia is terrible, keeping me up til 5 or 6 in the morning. And then I sleep 9 or 10 hours a night, which means I basically miss the entire day. I keep trying to wake up on less sleep, like 5 hours or so (which I normally can do just fine) but I can't seem to function without sleeping for ages.
Is this normal? I'm trying really hard to take it one day at a time and just focus on my sobriety.. but I'm getting frustrated at feeling even more dysfunctional than I did while drunk.
Any words of wisdom appreciated.
So today I've been sober one week. I honestly think this is the longest I've gone in maybe four or five years. I'm really proud. And I'm doing it for real this time... I ended up in the hospital last week vomiting blood. Thankfully it was gastritis (alcohol induced, of course) but the tests showed that I haven't damaged my liver or kidneys yet. So it seems like it's time to face the music. I feel ready.
I guess I wasn't expecting this to be such a physical experience, though. I've quit for a few days before and remember going through withdrawal in the sense of feeling foggy headed, etc. But this time I'm unemployed, so I'm experiencing the symptoms kind of unadulterated, and they're still going strong one week in. I feel incredibly dehydrated all the time. I've been drinking water from the time I wake up until I sleep and still I wake up every morning feeling like I slept in a desert.
And that's the other thing... wake up in the "morning". Yeah, that's not happening. My insomnia is terrible, keeping me up til 5 or 6 in the morning. And then I sleep 9 or 10 hours a night, which means I basically miss the entire day. I keep trying to wake up on less sleep, like 5 hours or so (which I normally can do just fine) but I can't seem to function without sleeping for ages.
Is this normal? I'm trying really hard to take it one day at a time and just focus on my sobriety.. but I'm getting frustrated at feeling even more dysfunctional than I did while drunk.
Any words of wisdom appreciated.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 2,937
You are doing great!
Yes the thirst too for me. I still feel panicky if I don't have a bottle of water near me or a tap at all times.
The sleep came in time.
Even now it is not perfect, but most morning I have to drag myself out of bed as I am in such a deep sleep.
I struggle to fall asleep a a decent time at night. But I try to avoid caffeine and do all the other sleep tricks stuff if I can - warm bath, milky drink, exercise in the day.
Maybe set an alarm one hour earlier every night until you adjust your sleep cycle?
But I would not worry about dysfunctional.
Your not.
You just sleep a bit strange!
You are not causing chaos by drinking, risking arrest, waking up to a roomful of empties or risking your health or upsetting anyone. You just sleep like a newborn does - they sleep all day and stay awake all night!
Keep going you are doing great
xxxX
Yes the thirst too for me. I still feel panicky if I don't have a bottle of water near me or a tap at all times.
The sleep came in time.
Even now it is not perfect, but most morning I have to drag myself out of bed as I am in such a deep sleep.
I struggle to fall asleep a a decent time at night. But I try to avoid caffeine and do all the other sleep tricks stuff if I can - warm bath, milky drink, exercise in the day.
Maybe set an alarm one hour earlier every night until you adjust your sleep cycle?
But I would not worry about dysfunctional.
Your not.
You just sleep a bit strange!
You are not causing chaos by drinking, risking arrest, waking up to a roomful of empties or risking your health or upsetting anyone. You just sleep like a newborn does - they sleep all day and stay awake all night!
Keep going you are doing great
xxxX
Recognizes the Beast
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: In the kitchen, cooking up a storm
Posts: 704
Congrats on one week, that's a huge first step!
The answer that you'll most likely hear the most here is that everybody's experiences are different. How quickly your body recovers from alcohol abuse depends on how long you've been an alcoholic, how much you regularly exercise, what your diet is like, how old you are etc....
Having said that, the first two weeks were very difficult for me, flu like symptoms and then another two months of living in a fog. The past month has been good but roller coastery at times.
The answer that you'll most likely hear the most here is that everybody's experiences are different. How quickly your body recovers from alcohol abuse depends on how long you've been an alcoholic, how much you regularly exercise, what your diet is like, how old you are etc....
Having said that, the first two weeks were very difficult for me, flu like symptoms and then another two months of living in a fog. The past month has been good but roller coastery at times.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Midwest
Posts: 135
7 days down just like you, congratulations to both of us. Luckily for me I work just about every day so that keeps me busy which is a good thing for me.When I have too much free time I tend to think about what bar I could be in, not good.
Lucky for you that you were tested and your liver/organs are still functioning properly
I had recent blood work and I have elevated liver enzymes, high BP, high cholesterol, etc...... that is what forced me to quit. You still have good organs so you are blessed. Don't drink any more and you will be so healthy and not get to where 30 + years of drinking got me : (
My sleep has also been very sporadic where I don't sleep sometimes for 24 hours and then only get 3-4 hours when I do sleep.
You may think that being sober right now is not getting you the initial desired results, but going back to drinking would make it so many times worse and would put your physical and mental health in jeapordy
Talk to you next week on day 14 for both of us.
Lucky for you that you were tested and your liver/organs are still functioning properly
I had recent blood work and I have elevated liver enzymes, high BP, high cholesterol, etc...... that is what forced me to quit. You still have good organs so you are blessed. Don't drink any more and you will be so healthy and not get to where 30 + years of drinking got me : (
My sleep has also been very sporadic where I don't sleep sometimes for 24 hours and then only get 3-4 hours when I do sleep.
You may think that being sober right now is not getting you the initial desired results, but going back to drinking would make it so many times worse and would put your physical and mental health in jeapordy
Talk to you next week on day 14 for both of us.
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,504
Congratulations on 1 week sober!
I know it's hard, but it's best to be patient with your body as it begins to recover. It takes time. Sleep issues are very common in early recovery, so hopefully your sleep patterns will work out soon.
I know it's hard, but it's best to be patient with your body as it begins to recover. It takes time. Sleep issues are very common in early recovery, so hopefully your sleep patterns will work out soon.
now's the time
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,181
Thanks, everyone. Overall I guess I'm feeling grateful that I have a comfortable room that's mine and paid for, understanding roommates, the time to work through this, and all that money that I'm not spending on booze to spend on take-out! But although I didn't lose my job because of the drinking... it was a mass lay-off... it's hard to be laying around and keeping weird hours at this point in my life. Ego's already down for the count, and acting like a schlub doesn't feel great.
Thanks for helping me remember that it's just part of the process. So that I can go get another job and rock at it.
Abidebylaw, congrats on week one and thanks for your kind words! I'll be here and sober with you next Wednesday, promise!
Thanks for helping me remember that it's just part of the process. So that I can go get another job and rock at it.
Abidebylaw, congrats on week one and thanks for your kind words! I'll be here and sober with you next Wednesday, promise!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Ireland
Posts: 29
Hi Fantail....thank you for your post sooo much,I am feeling the exact same!!
Sleep wise,job wise etc
On my 4th day sober woo hoo,just wanted to thank you,it's nice to know I'm not the only one going through these fellings,emotions and lack of/ too much sleep
Good luck
Sleep wise,job wise etc
On my 4th day sober woo hoo,just wanted to thank you,it's nice to know I'm not the only one going through these fellings,emotions and lack of/ too much sleep
Good luck
Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 153
Way to go Fantail. I am on 5 days myself. Physical feeling pretty good and have been sleeping soundly once I get to sleep. I don't lie in bed if I cant sleep but get up and read. My doc told me to not watch tv or look at a commuter screen for at least an hour before I want to sleep. Something about the screen stimulating the brain in strange ways.
My only complaint is I am still having night sweats. Also some super crazy and vivid dreams. The dreams are not scary or bad, just very real.
My only complaint is I am still having night sweats. Also some super crazy and vivid dreams. The dreams are not scary or bad, just very real.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 18
Whoo hoo! Way to go! I'm on day 9 (28 minutes to day 10!) and I am just starting to feel a bit better. I'm still getting night sweats, but not as much anxiety during the days. The first 7 days, it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed and not fall asleep at work. I'm still super thirsty & drinking Gatorade like it's my job! I can't go without it even in the middle of the night. Every day I'm noticing some improvement, so hang in there! Have you had a craving for sweets? I found myself eating more candy than a kid at Halloween the past week. That too, is tapering off little by little.
Best wishes on your continued success!!!
Best wishes on your continued success!!!
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 136
I actually found it easier to quit while working from home, which surprised me. But since I can set my own schedule I never worried about insomnia (I just stayed up all night until I knew I'd be able to fall asleep, no tossing and turning, usually around 6am-7am. Weird schedule but whatever it got better).
Anyway I've been quitting on and off for 7-10 day increments. I agree it's starts to get weird being sober that long and that's usually why I give in to a freight train of a craving (just nonstop, constant, feeling of inevitability, etc.)
One thing that has helped is reading about the relation to sugar and alcohol addiction. I'm not a doctor but my understanding is basically your body is addicted to the sugar because you've screwed up your metabolism by having your body frequently producing these huge rushes of insulin. The physical stuff starts to go away once you're metabolism has readjusted, which can take a while. But once it goes back it is much easier to stay quit because you don't have a physical need to alcohol anymore.
It's also why even though sugar is a crutch the first few days I'm trying to make a point to cut it out for longer terms, because if I keep consuming a lot of it my metabolism will not go back to normal. The problem is I'm a lifelong sugar addict who replaced it with alcohol as a teen
Anyway I've been quitting on and off for 7-10 day increments. I agree it's starts to get weird being sober that long and that's usually why I give in to a freight train of a craving (just nonstop, constant, feeling of inevitability, etc.)
One thing that has helped is reading about the relation to sugar and alcohol addiction. I'm not a doctor but my understanding is basically your body is addicted to the sugar because you've screwed up your metabolism by having your body frequently producing these huge rushes of insulin. The physical stuff starts to go away once you're metabolism has readjusted, which can take a while. But once it goes back it is much easier to stay quit because you don't have a physical need to alcohol anymore.
It's also why even though sugar is a crutch the first few days I'm trying to make a point to cut it out for longer terms, because if I keep consuming a lot of it my metabolism will not go back to normal. The problem is I'm a lifelong sugar addict who replaced it with alcohol as a teen
~sb
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: MD
Posts: 15,967
you're sleeping 9-10 hours at a time, you can adjust somethings so your sleep is at night....
no bright lights before sleeping, some other things can be done, too, do a search on sleep patterns or something!
congrats on staying stopped!!!
no bright lights before sleeping, some other things can be done, too, do a search on sleep patterns or something!
congrats on staying stopped!!!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Ferndale, Wa.
Posts: 68
Way to go everyone early in recovery!! You are all doing great! I just wanted to add a couple of things like gaterade is also a good drink to replace fluids. I drank so much water I ended up in the hospital from too low sodium to funtion. I take a couple of melatonin at night also when too many nights not sleeping. I hope I'm not in trouble saying that. Your sleep will get better over time so be patient with yourselves.I also found the section marked articles at the top have some good info. on all kinds of stuff. Good luck!!
now's the time
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,181
Really good to hear that others are in the same boat! I think I need to turn off that nagging voice in my head that says I need to be doing something more important with my time and accept that this is important.
A friend of mine said something recently that stuck with me (she was talking about her spending habits, but it applies): "I treat present me really, really well, but at the expense of Future Me." That's kind of how I've been functioning for a long time... can't sleep? Drink! Nervous at a party? Drink! Need to relax? Drink! Need to get a move on? Drink! So I guess now's the time where Present Me needs to take some hits so that Future Me can get what's hers.
About the sugar... yes, totally. I bought a gift basket for a friend of mine to give to her this weekend and I've broken into almost all of it... I'm going to have to get a replacement! I never had a sweet tooth before. I've made a little deal with myself that if this keeps up past the two week mark I'm going to have to make some rules.
Great advice about the computer. I definitely need better "sleep hygiene" as I've seen it called. I should take a trip to the library tomorrow so that I can read before bed instead of being on Netflix all night.
Thank you everyone, and congrats to those of you who are in your early days, too!
A friend of mine said something recently that stuck with me (she was talking about her spending habits, but it applies): "I treat present me really, really well, but at the expense of Future Me." That's kind of how I've been functioning for a long time... can't sleep? Drink! Nervous at a party? Drink! Need to relax? Drink! Need to get a move on? Drink! So I guess now's the time where Present Me needs to take some hits so that Future Me can get what's hers.
About the sugar... yes, totally. I bought a gift basket for a friend of mine to give to her this weekend and I've broken into almost all of it... I'm going to have to get a replacement! I never had a sweet tooth before. I've made a little deal with myself that if this keeps up past the two week mark I'm going to have to make some rules.
Great advice about the computer. I definitely need better "sleep hygiene" as I've seen it called. I should take a trip to the library tomorrow so that I can read before bed instead of being on Netflix all night.
Thank you everyone, and congrats to those of you who are in your early days, too!
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